Petitions for and against Sterlite Copper submitted at Collectorate
The Hindu
THOOTHUKUDITension prevailed near the Collectorate premises here on Monday after supporters and opponents of Sterlite Copper submitted petitions in the Collectore seeking reopening and permanent closu
THOOTHUKUDI Tension prevailed near the Collectorate premises here on Monday after supporters and opponents of Sterlite Copper submitted petitions in the Collectore seeking reopening and permanent closure of the copper smelter unit. As the Sterlite Copper smelter unit on the SIPCOT Industrial Complex premises remains closed since May 2018 following violent protest and police firing in which 13 persons were killed, petitions in support of permanent closure of the factory and seeking reopening of the unit are being submitted to the Collector by various groups.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.